Somebody once said that there’s a very fine line between a hobby and mental illness. I moved a step closer to that line back in 1978 You May Also Like: How Van Halen’s Jaw-Dropping First Album Ruined My Sex Life (Again)

Every music fan has moments they hold dear. Maybe it was the time they performed “that” song at a concert. Or maybe it was a song what happened to be playing when an important relationship began. Perhaps most simple is when we hear a particular artist for the first timeRead More

It’s a short, inner-directed musing, but one that encapsulates the desperation that’s one of the essential elements of Darkness On The Edge Of Town. Bruce wanted this album to be relentless, to never let up You May Also Like: Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and the E StreetRead More

The only concert I’ve ever walked out of was Depeche Mode. This was during the Music For The Masses tour at the old Boston-area Great Woods shed. The primary reason was musical: just too much, uh … sameness You May Also Like: Medeski Martin & Wood with Alarm Will SoundRead More

I use the tune “King Soloman’s Marbles” when I want to “trick” someone into liking the Grateful Dead.

I drive through the country (and the suburbs too), read the papers, and surf the Internet … and see & hear a lot of intriguing things. Also, a lot of things commonly held in high esteem that I just don’t get. You May Also Like: Chris Frantz – ‘Remain inRead More

Every collector has a few records that are ‘important’: bought during life-altering circumstances or maybe during a difficult time in life. Or heck, maybe some nutty karma-tidbit tossed the record into your hands. You May Also Like: ‘Elegant People: A History of the Band Weather Report,’ by Curt Bianchi: BooksRead More

Some people made fun of the Lilith Fair shows put on by Sarah McLachlan, the idea being that the whole enterprise was some sort of unnecessary female music ghetto. I dunno. I think those people where just thinkin’ too hard. I mean, the show I went to had a pileRead More

When you turn on your stereo, does it return the favor? – David Lee Roth from “The Trouble With Never” You May Also Like: Why Complaints About Van Halen’s ‘A Different Kind of Truth’ Were Overblown How Van Halen’s Jaw-Dropping First Album Ruined My Sex Life (Again)

Until a severe heart attack forced him into early retirement in his 40s, my dad worked in a factory, running ball bearing machines for General Motors. You May Also Like: Pop Co-Op – ‘Factory Settings’ (2020) Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle’ The DeananRead More